Quantum Twilight
by Amelia Wolfson
Summary: What if Sam Becket leapt in and did what he always does, put right what once went wrong?
1. Chapter 1

"Say Goodbye, Sam." He advised his friend who stood with the brunette still in his arms as they watched the younger couple make their way out into the main hall to make their own announcement.

"Goodbye, Sam." Came the whispered words of his friend and counterpart.

"Sam? Is that your name?" The brunette looked up at his friend questioningly, searching his face for any sign of confirmation of her guess.

Al just smirked and took a puff of his ever-present stogie as he watched his friend give the woman a slight nod before the blue light that preceded all the jumps since the moment the accelerator had been turned on enveloped him, transporting him to places and times still unknown. The older man chuckled to himself at how quickly the last leap had resolved itself, almost as if they hadn't been needed at all. "You just had to give him another glimpse at them, didn't you?" He chuckled, the quick movement of his eyes heavenward being the only indication of to whom he had been speaking.

"Good night, Gooshie," He called over his shoulder as he passed through the control room on his way out to the parking lot. He was looking forward to the dinner Beth was making tonight, it was hard to believe that they'd been married as long as they had been. Al also knew that, had Sam not intervened, he would have been a hollow shell of a man divorced many times over just looking for someone who meant as much to him as Beth did. He sometimes remembered whispers of what his life would have been like, it was hard to believe how different his life would have been without Beth.

Ducking into his office for his coat, Al snuffed out his cigar in the ashtray that sat on his desk. Beth hated it when he smoked, and he had honestly cut back, but it was hard to kick the habit he'd had since he had gone to flight school. He smiled at the thought of his beautiful Beth, even in her early 70's she looked just as beautiful as the day he'd met her in the naval sick back all those years ago. Nothing much had changed her in his eyes, true her hair was greyer than it was brown, and her naval officer uniform had been exchanged for more comfortable scrubs when she did her work at the Children's Hospital. After so many years of treating war wounds, she had decided that she needed to be in a different environment and seemed to find her niche in Pediatric Intensive Care. While he knew she still dealt with difficult situations, he knew that her life fulfilled her, which is all he could ask for her life.

He had to say his life was pretty fulfilling as well; not only did he have Beth, but three beautiful daughters, and seven grandchildren. He even had a nephew he kept an eye on when had the time, his sister's son, who he had promised to look out for when she had died of breast cancer when her son was only 10 years old. His former brother-in-law being too wrapped up in his life to really care what his son did aside from cutting him off from the family fortune when the boy refused to follow in his father's footsteps. Unfortunately, the boy's choice of careers had brought him no shortage of heartache over the past few years. He was very much like his uncle was before meeting Beth, a lothario with an easy smile that charmed the pants off the ladies, both literally and figuratively. Unlike his uncle, every time he started to open himself up to something more, he would lose whatever, or whomever it was that made the change in him. The boy had even recently found that he'd fathered a child whose mother had died violently overseas. Al had lent his help in trying to track down the missing child, which led his nephew to Tel Aviv to try and bring her home. He only hoped that his chance at fatherly love would not be ripped away from his nephew as his other chances had been.

He knew he must be getting soft in his old age if all he could think of was the love prospects of the next generations of his family. Chuckling to himself, he got into his new Tesla and drove into the night to his home, and the woman who had loved him for over half a century.

The next morning his daily routine started as it always did, his wife's alarm going off at 0430 to get ready for work as he slowly awoke to the sound of the shower running and shuffled into the kitchen to start coffee. By the time he'd finished his morning cup, his wife came strolling into the kitchen, her clean white sneakers making barely a sound as she crossed the linoleum. Al, as he did every morning, took the time to appreciate the view of his wife as she bustled around the kitchen making their breakfast. He loved the way her pale blue scrub pants closely followed the contours of her shapely legs and hugged her rear in a way that only her husband could appreciate. Her scrub top today was white and featured the sisters who were the leads in one of the most recent Disney films. He only knew because his youngest granddaughters had insisted on watching the film non-stop when they had visited the previous weekend, it was nearly Friday now and he still couldn't get the song out of his head, it didn't help that Beth was humming the song as she made quick work of the eggs she was frying.

"You had to pick that song to hum, didn't you?" He jokingly demanded, walking toward her and wrapping his arms around her slim figure as he stood behind.

"Let it go, Al, just let it go," Beth gave him a teasing pat and kiss on the cheek before turning back to plating the eggs.

"Ha-ha," He mocked dryly, "I've been trying to get that song out of my head for a week, and you're not helping."

"I'm sorry, who was the one who would sweep me off my feet singing 'A Whole New World' when Aladdin came out?" She teased.

"You can blame your nephew for that one, he's the one who insisted on watching it when he visited." Al smirked as he made quick work of the eggs and toast his wife sat before him.

"Whatever you say, dear," Beth shook her head as she calmly cut into her own meal before looking at the clock, "You should probably get a move-on, or else you'll be late."

"I doubt that Sam will notice if I'm a few minutes late," Al rolled his eyes, but got up anyway to rinse off his plate and cup and place them in the dishwasher. Knowing Beth would likely be out the door as soon as she was finished eating, he gave her a brief kiss and wished her a good day before heading back into his bedroom to shower and dress for the day.

An hour later, he was walking down the halls of Project Quantum Leap, late as his wife had predicted, but he had no plan to inform her of such, couldn't let the woman think she was right all the time, although she usually was. He had just taken off his jacket and settled at his desk when Sammy Jo, stuck her head into his office with a quick knock on the door frame, "Good morning, Admiral." She smiled at him.

"Morning Sammy, found where your dad's taken us this time?" He asked, looking over paperwork that was awaiting his signature.

"Yes, but I think this is something you're going to have to see for yourself." The younger woman answered, Al could hear the slight hesitation in her voice. Something wasn't right.

"Sammy Jo, is Sam in some kind of trouble?" He demanded gently, rising and walking around his desk to stand before her.

"No, nothing like that, it just…" She trailed off, "I think it would be better if you saw it yourself."

With a curious look toward the scientist, he walked off toward the holding chamber. When he entered the room, he knew why Sammy Jo was so elusive about the new mission. Aside from himself, Sammy Jo was the only one who could see the actual person who had leaped in. The man standing before him may have been a bit older, a lot greyer, and sterner than he had remembered, but his eyes, were unmistakable. "I'll be damned..."

"Admiral," The younger man's cool grey-blue eyes bore into his own, "Would you care to explain to me what the hell I am doing here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Gunny." Al shook his head, as he placed his unlit cigar in his mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

The blue light faded leaving a familiar tingling feeling that radiated from his chest and out his extremities as Sam took in his surroundings. He was standing on what seemed to be a mountain roadway. Trees lined the two-lane road, the hill rising to his left and descending to his right. He turned to see two large trucks similar in style to paramedic units, both emblazoned with the NCIS logo, one also with 'Medical Examiner' on the side in gold letters. The cellphone in his hand had clearly been in used by whomever he had just leapt into as the man on the other end was demanding a sit-rep. Before he could respond, he saw a young man with sandy blond hair and a dark-haired woman, both wearing jackets with the names 'McGee' and 'Todd' as well as caps with 'NCIS' written on them, running in a panic.

"It's the car!" The man exclaimed.

"It's wired to…" The woman got out before a loud explosion threw them all to the ground.

Sam looked up to see a flaming tire just inches from his face, he quickly pushed it aside and sat up taking in his surroundings once more. The woman was laying a foot to his right and was slowly pushing herself up, the young man was moving as well, both seemed fine, or as good as could be expected after being thrown by an explosion.

"Tony!" The woman cried out, panic bleeding into her voice as the medics came from between the trucks and joined the rest in looking towards the embankment where the explosion had come from. A moment later, another man came crawling up the hill wearing the same black jacket as the rest of them. His breathing was clearly labored by more than just a sprint up the hill.

"Boss," He gasped, "Remember when I said I never felt better? I lied." With that he collapsed over the chain the stood as a barrier between the roadway and the hill. The medical team, if you could call them that rushed to the man's aid. Both wearing navy blue jumpsuits with NCIS Medical Examiner on the back. The older man, who had a deep English accent with a touch of Scotch in it, yelled to the younger one, to grab the gurney from the truck. Before long, the young man was loaded up on the gurney and put in the back of the medical examiner's truck while the rest of the team made quick work at collecting whatever evidence they could from the now charcoaled bodies of the dead Naval officers to the bomb fragments and their own gear much of which was still smoldering from the blast. Within 30 minutes they were racing down the hill back to their headquarters.

As soon as they pulled the trucks into the garage, the medical examiner and his young assistant guided their charge out of the truck and toward the pathology lab that was their domain. The other two agents, with the assistance of the evidence team that met them, made quick work of getting the bodies to the medical team and the other evidence was sent to the forensics lab. All were operating on auto pilot, and none had noticed that their usually fearless leader was nowhere to be found.

In the hustle and bustle of the unloading process, Sam had slipped into an empty restroom and had quickly washed his hands and face of the ash that covered him. Just as he was looking back toward the mirror, he heard the familiar whoosh of the imaging chamber doors sliding open. "Al, thank God you're here, you have no idea what just happened."

"Well if history is any measure, I would say that you and your team just nearly was blown up." Al looked at him seriously, comlink in his hand. The look on his face was almost enough to give Sam pause. Clearly there was more to this than their usual mission. Taking Sam's silence as request to continue, Al started hitting buttons on the device in his hand, briefing the time traveler as the information came up on his screen. "Might as well start with the basics."

"That would be nice," Sam rolled his eyes but Al's look wiped the sarcastic smirk from his face.

"Your name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, although most everyone calls you 'Gibbs' or 'Boss,' except for a rare few who call you 'Jethro.' You are the team leader of one of the best NICS teams in the DC area. Your team consists of three agents, a forensic scientist, a medical examiner and his assistant.

"The senior agent is Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo started his career with Baltimore PD before transferring to NCIS three years ago. Next is a young woman who, two years ago, transferred from the Secret Service to join your team, Caitlin or Kate Todd. Lastly you have Timothy McGee who you had transferred from Norfolk to join your team last year after he'd come down to visit his girlfriend and wound up helping on several cases while he was in town.

"Tony just came back to word today from medical leave, seems he'd opened a letter filled with Y. Pestis about a month ago that had been sent by a woman who erroneously thought that NCIS had botched a rape case concerning her daughter."

"So, she sent the pneumonic plague to them?" Sam questioned, "That seems a little extreme."

"Yeah, apparently it was her last hoorah, the woman had a brain tumor that was killing her, she passed in medical custody two weeks ago after her daughter went on record saying that she had cried rape to get her mom's attention, but that nothing had actually happened." Al rolled his eyes. "Any way, the rest of your team consists of Abigail Sciuto or Abby, the forensic technician. Don't be surprised if the attitude doesn't match the attire. She dresses goth, but has a surprisingly bubbly personality. Just so you know you call all the men on your team by their last names but the women you refer to as Kate or Abby. Probably has something to do with the fact Gibbs sees them as stand-ins for his daughter, Kelly who was murdered some years ago."

"Why do I get the feeling you've met these people before?" Sam asked, eyebrow quirked up.

"And then you have the medical examiner, Dr. Donald Mallard or Ducky to everyone who knows him," Al continued without missing a beat, "And his assistant James Palmer or Jimmy. Ducky is one of your closest friends, and a surrogate father figure to you like the agents are ersatz children to you as well. Jimmy was just accepted to Georgetown's medical school and will be starting in the fall."

"Okay, so why am I here?" Sam led his friend.

"There is a 99.6% probability that you are here to stop the murder of one of your agents." Al fidgeted with his cigar, almost as if debating on telling him something, "Their death sends a shockwave though the team that they never fully recover from."

"Which agent?" Demanded Sam, "Maybe I can get them to sit that one out."

"You would have a better chance of traveling through space like some science fiction hero than convincing them to wait it out." Al scoffed, "Besides, they have to be there to keep you from being killed. I ran the numbers before coming here, if the agent is benched there is an 88.6% probability that you will die in the line of duty."

"Oh boy," Sam ran his fingers through his head and looked in the mirror. The man who stared back had short, grey hair, that was cut in the typical military style, and a sturdy build that was indicative of years of conditioning and hard work. "I hope you know what you just got me into."

"More than you know," Al replied softly before meeting his friend's eyes in the mirror, "Your team should be ready to see you now, I would suggest checking on Tony first." With a nod, Sam watched as his friend slipped back through the imaging chamber door.

Sam took one last look in the mirror and set his shoulders, "Might as well get started," He sighed and quickly made his way to the pathology lab. He heard the voices of two of his agents and the medical examiner arguing as the doors to the lab slid open.

"Okay, that didn't come out the way I intended," He heard the woman protest.

"What didn't Kate?" Sam quirked an eye brow at the woman as he walked toward the three. Kate stumbled over her words before the medical examiner saved her, explaining that she was just expressing her concern over the senior field agent's condition before expressing his own about the man being a difficult and stubborn patient. "Sounds about right," He nodded before heading for the tables where the charred victims lay awaiting examination, asking if they'd had confirmation on the identities of the two bodies.

Duck and Palmer assured him that they knew without a doubt that the bodies on the table were the two men they'd identified at the scene. Satisfied with their answer, Sam turned assigning Kate to have her and McGee look into the men's service records and who called in the accident that led them to the discovery of the bodies in the first place before instructing Tony to go laydown before he further harmed himself.

Sam took a detour through the break room to get coffee since he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept and he was starting to feel the effects. He decided that it would be worth his while to check up on the team only to come in on the two younger agents picking on the Tony. "I thought I told you to lie down."

"I was boss but…" The man started to protest, sounding more like a teenager claiming a fight he was in wasn't his fault, before giving up and lowering himself back down behind his desk.

"Not there." Sam instructed, knowing that the man would never get sufficient sleep behind the desk. He had meant for Tony to lay down on one of the couches he'd seen in the break room but was rather surprised to see the young man trudge toward the back elevator that lead to the labs. _Maybe there's a cot somewhere I'm not aware of._ He thought before turning back to the work at hand, looking up he noticed McGee and Kate looking at him with odd expressions. "Get back to work" Was all it took to send the other two agents back to their assigned tasks.

A moment later, Sam heard the imaging chamber door whisper open, "Tell them you're going to MTAC," was all he said before hitting a few buttons on his com and disappearing.

"I'm heading up to MTAC, I expect results when I return." He informed the agents in the sternest voice he could muster before ascending the stairs up to the dark communications office which, for once, was empty aside from himself and his holographic counterpart. "What's going on, Al?"

"Here's what we know so far, the crime scene you leapt into this morning was a set up. Too much about it doesn't add up." Al took a puff of his cigar, "First off, the 911 call for the accident was anonymous and untraceable. Add to that the fact the caller said that the victims were sailors but were found wearing civvies, according to the reports that your agents filed. Not to mention the bomb was professional grade but the explosive had no taggants and the electronics, including the detonator were untraceable, the serial numbers filed off, making the damn thing completely untraceable."

"What does all that mean?" Sam watched his friend pace agitatedly, "And why are you getting so worked up over this?"

Al just stopped and turned to him, his face dark, as if reliving a nightmare, "It just hits a little too close to home for me. Someone is trying to kill your team, again. The team has dealt with this psycho before and came out on top, in the original history they don't this time. That's why you're here, according to Ziggy, there's a 76% probability you are here to make sure that this bastard is put away for good. I just hope better comes from this time around."

"Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than what you're telling me?" Sam mused.

"We're out of time," Al opened the chamber door, "Go check on your team and I'll meet up with you later." With that the man disappeared.

"Something strange is going on here," Sam sighed before heading down to the forensics lab to see if Abby had any updates for him. He was surprised to find the goth technician and his senior field agent laying on the floor in front of the bio sample cooler discussing the merits of the explosive found in the bomb that had gone off that morning.

"Every military grade explosive made over the past 20 years has had taggants mixed in for identification purposes." The agent rationalized.

"Yep, but these don't," The agent countered.

"So, you're telling me that this guy made the stuff from scratch?" Tony tried to keep up.

"Mm-mm," Abby shook her head, "The compositions were exact, as in off the shelf."

"That's not possible; how is that possible?" Tony demanded.

"It shouldn't be possible." Abby agreed.

"Oh, it's possible," Sam interjected, standing over the pair. A farting noise came as they both looked up, causing Sam to raise his eye brow as Tony tried to blame it on stuffed animal behind his head and Abby played it off as if she was unaware of the creature. Rolling his eyes, he stepped around and grabbed Abby's hand, helping her up. "Abbs, are you sure these explosives aren't tracible?"

Abby was quick to assure him that she would keep looking until she could find a means by which to identify where the explosive had been produced. She then went on to relay the information on the electronics and detonator that Al had gone over with him just moments before. With a sigh he turned to leave, speaking over his shoulder as he went, "Let's go DiNozzo, we got work to do; someone is trying to kill us again."

Once they were in the squad room, he demanded to know if the other agents had found anything, McGee spoke on the anonymous and untraceable 911 call, seemingly perplexed as Sam interjected in the findings with the same information before he could relay it. He then turned to Kate who confirmed that both men were naval pilots both stationed at Pensacola. Curtis Jansen had been up visiting his friend, Dean Westfall. who had been temporarily attached for the past two months to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. When he asked what the project Lieutenant Westfall had been attached to, Kate informed him it was classified but that she would find out. All the information was quickly adding up to one thing.

"We were set up." Tony realized.

"Yeah, and they came pretty damn close," Sam huffed as he stormed back up to MTAC where he had heard the director was at this time of day. Unfortunately, the director wouldn't give him much to work with, despite Sam pointing out the near loss of his entire team earlier that day. Needing to get some fresh air, he told his team to find out why someone would have removed Westfall's hands before taking the Chinese food from McGee's hands and handing it to Tony insisting that he eat something. He had heard the junior agents ribbing him over his lack of appetite. "I'm going out." He grabbed his gun and badge from his desk and headed out of the office to get some coffee from a café a few blocks down the street.

What any passer-by wouldn't have known was that as he was walking, Al had appeared and was briefing him on everything he'd come across during the past few hours. As he stepped out of the café, cup in hand, Al stopped short. "Looks like we have trouble." His friend pointed with the cigar in his hand toward a table where a man sat, yellow motorcycle helmet on the table, and a newspaper in his hand hiding his face. As Sam turned to look, the man lowered his newspaper revealing himself. "Ari Haswari, that rat bastard is back." He heard Al's gravelly voice swear before hearing the beeping of the comlink and the whisper of the imaging chamber door open and close once more, leaving him alone to deal with the terrorist.


	3. Chapter 3

The two men sat opposite each other, their cups sitting in front of them on the table. Ari slowly doctored his tea as he taunted Sam by way of inane conversation which hid his true reason for being back in DC. Finally, the man got frustrated, although he didn't show it, instead passing it off as and amused observation. "Still not much of a conversationalist, I see."

"I'm waiting." Was all Sam said.

"For what?"

"A reason to shoot you again," Sam tilted his head, trying to read the other man as he continued, "Someone tried to kill my team today, I'm thinking it was you."

"You wound me, Gibbs," The man mock-protested, "If it was me, they'd be dead already."

Not swayed by the man's cocky smile, Sam continued, "You're still coming in with me for questioning." Ari tried to put him off, claiming he'd made other plans for the evening, but Sam was not to be deterred, "It wasn't a request."

"I know," The man leaned forward, his voice getting dangerously low, "That's why I took the precaution of placing an explosive device under one of these tables." He smiled innocently and waved a young girl and her mother just a few tables over. "You be a good NCIS agent, and I may just tell you where."

Sam slowly scanned the immediate area for exits trying to look as inconspicuous as he did so, "What are you doing here?"

"An Al Qaeda cell is planning an attack on Washington." Ari explained, "I'm here to stop it."

"Yeah?" Sam didn't believe him, "Where's the target?"

Ari quickly denied knowledge of the location of the target or the Al Qaeda cell, not that it surprised Sam. "You're doing a hell of a job as a Mossad double agent." He scoffed.

"I have ways of gaining access to that information, but that, of course, comes at a price," The man replied smugly, "One I doubt you are willing to pay."

Sam narrowed his eyes, "Try me."

"Al Qaeda sent me here to conduct my own mission," Ari informed him, "It's a test. If I pass, I'm allowed into the Washington Cell." Sam sat expectantly, knowing there was more to come from the man's sudden openness, "I have to kill you. You are not surprised by this?"

"Means I'm doing my job," Sam sat back, arms crossed.

"Yes," The other man agreed, taking a sip of his tea, "And in order for me to do my job, you have to die. I wonder what would you do in my position?"

"Kill myself," Sam smirked causing the other man to chuckle.

"Sadly, not an option; it's the one part of my religion I subscribe to." Ari leaned back.

"I could help you out with that," Sam leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

"A kind offer to be sure," Ari mocked. "I also have on for you."

Sam raised his eye brows to indicate he was listening to what the man had to say. "You have 24 hours to find and eliminate the cell. If you fail…" Ari trailed off, allowing Sam's mind to put together the rest of his threat.

"I appreciate the heads up." Sam replied dryly.

"It's the least I could do," Ari stood, collecting his gloves and helmet, "How's Caitlyn doing, by the way?" He asked a small smile on his lips, "I've thought of her often since my last visit."

Sam's protective instinct kicked in at the unspoken threat toward the female agent, "Go near her and I don't care what government agency is backing you, I _will_ kill you this time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ari smirked, his fingers dancing over the shell of his helmet as he walked toward his bike.

"Where's the device?" Sam called toward him.

"Oh, I almost forgot," A smug smile playing on his lips, "I lied, there is none." He pulled on his helmet and kickstarted the engine, driving off into the night.

Sam, thanks to some bleed-over intuition from Gibbs, didn't believe him and looked under the table where he had been sitting. A small black box was attached to the underside of the table, a small, red, light strobing at regular intervals next to a clock that was counting down the seconds from 30. Sam grabbed the box as quick as he could and ran down the alleyway away from the people still gathered on the patio, the clock was still counting down, the bright red numbers counting down 9…8… as he lobbed it toward a nearby garbage bin before running the opposite way as the bomb went off setting the refuse to flame and throwing him to the ground from the impact.

An hour later, after speaking with the first responders who came after the blast was reported, he headed back into the office. DiNozzo was just hanging up his phone and trying to convince McGee to search for someone since they had left several messages. Sam knew it was him they were talking about, and didn't miss the opportunity to call them on it. "Look for who?" He asked, rounding his desk.

"We've been calling you for the last hour boss," Tony groused.

"My ringer-thing got turned off." He put down the cell phone on the corner of his desk, even with all his knowledge and leaps through time, he hadn't figured out the finer operational points of the devices.

Tony rolled his eyes at the explanation before pushing forward, "You're never going to guess who's back in town."

"Ari," Sam responded nonchalantly as he took his seat.

"Maybe you can guess…"

McGee took over, "Fornell said that he was here to…"

"Kill me?" Sam supplied, "Yeah, I know. I just had coffee with him."

"So, what happened?" Tony prompted.

Sam looked at him with an obvious look on his face, "He tried to kill me." At surprised looks on the agents' faces he changed the subject, "We figured out what Westfall was doing at Aberdeen yet?"

"Aren't you going to elaborate a bit on that?" McGee led.

"Yeah, sure, I'm alive, now tell me about Westfall," Sam was getting agitated at the blatant disregard of his question after being nearly blown up.

"Uh, he was only attached to Aberdeen, but he was working with an aerospace contractor in Maryland, Danborn Avionics."

"Doing what?" Sam prompted.

"Testing field service modules, or something like that, I have no idea," Tony shrugged, "The FBI sent a team over to the company to check their security."

"The FBI?" Sam demanded.

"A lot's happened in the last hour, Boss." Tony explained, and predicting his boss' next words he added, "Fornell is in MTAC."

Sam tossed his cell phone to McGee as he rose from his desk, demanding him to make the 'ringer-thing work' as he made his way up to the communications office. As he cleared the landing, he saw Fornell exiting the secure room. "How long did you know that bastard was here?" He demanded.

"We had our reason's Gibbs," The FBI agent explained.

"How long?" He repeated himself.

"About a week." Fornell sighed, "We didn't know what his cover mission was with Al Qaeda until today."

"I'm taking him down." Sam started to walk away.

"Not this time," Fornell grabbed his arm and turned him back toward himself, "The FBI can handle this."

"I'm pretty sure the civilians that he nearly blew up today in the coffee shop would disagree with you, Tobias." Sam countered, Gibbs' righteous indignation bleeding through.

"Look, if it was up to me, I would put a round through his forehead myself," Fornell was getting agitated, "But it's not. You're sitting this one out."

"You're going to stop me?" Sam challenged him.

"No, not me," Fornell shook his head before sending a meaningful look toward the door leading to MTAC.

Sam rolled his eyes and stormed into the secure room. As expected the NCIS director was standing there waiting for him. "Ari has been declared off limits." The older man explained, "NCIS will have no further involvement in the case."

"You have got to be kidding, Sir." Sam protested, not hearing the imaging chamber door open and close.

"I've also been ordered to place you under protective custody." The director added, "For your own safety."

"Meaning for Ari's?" Sam countered, following the director.

"I'd listen to him, Sam." Al's voice came from behind him.

"Take it for what it is, Agent Gibbs; a direct order." The director didn't break focus from the screen before him, "And you damn well follow it to the letter."

"Yes Sir," Sam circled to stand in front of the man, "I would also like the opportunity to offer you my resignation, Sir."

"Sam…" Al warned, knowing full well that his friend was more Gibbs than Beckett at that moment.

"And I will accept it." The director didn't miss a beat, " _After_ you've completed your current case." Sam just shot the older man a questioning look, "Have you found any evidence connecting Ari to the murder of our two Naval officers?" When Sam confirmed they hadn't, the director turned back to indicate a third person being added to their conversation, "I will now hand you over to our federally certified protective custody expert, Agent Todd. I hear she used to protect the President; you should be flattered."

Sam tried to resist rolling his eyes at the director's obvious attempt to stay on his good side. "I expect you to follow her order to the letter." The older man added, "As if they were mine." With that he walked off.

"That last part, he meant." Kate added, all business, before turning on her heel and heading back to the bullpen to give orders to the team on how to protect her new charge.

 _She's the one I'm here to save?_ Sam thought to himself, _at least that explains why Ari asked about her. He's hung up on her._ Sam strolled down the stairs and grabbed a bulletproof vest from one of the filing cabinets between DiNozzo's and McGee's desks, "Go home. I don't need a swarm of agents sitting around watching me build a boat."

"You won't leave the building?" Kate challenged him.

"If I do, I'll call you," Sam gave Kate an annoyed look, "Now go, get some sleep. First thing tomorrow morning we're gonna check out Danborn Avionics, find out what the FBI missed." When the three didn't move, he shooed them away, "Go!"

It was about three in the morning when he looked up from his computer where he'd been viewing the crime scene photos, having been alerted to his team's presence by McGee's snoring. Waking by their desks, he saw both McGee and DiNozzo asleep in their chairs, feet propped up on their desks, both snoring. Across from Tony's desk, Kate lay sleeping on the floor behind her own desk. Sam felt an odd paternal feeling toward the woman as he crouched down to cover her more with the blanket that had slipped from her shoulders. He ran his fingers through her hair like he would have done his own daughter if he'd been around to see her grow up. He knew this was going to be a hard mission, as he stood facing the window overlooking the naval yard as he sipped his umpteenth coffee of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam had ducked down to the work out room's locker area to shower before his agents woke up and was just returning when he heard Kate being picked on by her teammates, something having to do with dreaming about Gibbs. Not wanting to get involved, he walked past them and pulled a clean polo shirt from one of the filing cabinets and was about to pull it on when Kate stopped him.

"If you are planning on going with us to check out the defense contractor, you're going to need to wear a vest." She explained, handing one to him.

"I can live with that," Sam shrugged, pulling on the vest.

"That's kinda the point, Gibbs," Kate smiled primly. As soon as he had adjusted the vest to fit him, he pulled the polo back on followed by his suit jacket and led the team out to the sedan that awaited them to drive to Danborn Avionics.

Sam listened patiently as the head of the development team showed them around the building and led them to the engineering lab where the prototype was being worked on. The man briefed them on the multiple uses of the prototype once it was approved for mass production from humanitarian aid to dropping bombs on enemy insurgents without endangering the life of a pilot.

The man seemed a little put off when the team asked him if anything required a hand or fingerprint to access. He was hesitant to respond, protesting that the FBI hadn't asked about it before finally giving in and admitting the remote flight controls were accessed by biometrics, adding that only pilots in the system could use the device. He was quick to add that they only had the one model, so they would know if it went missing, but Sam noticed a tarp covering some object on the far side of the room. Pulling back the sheet, it was clear that one was missing. "What about these?"

"Those are old target drones," The man explained, "We got our start making them in the 1970's, but they're non-operational relics."

"One's missing," Sam pointed out.

"It was probably moved, we use them for spare parts from time to time." The explanation sounded weak even to Sam's ears. "It's not possible for them to be flown again. You would need a team of engineers to get one even close to operational again. Not to mention a radio flight control."

"I'd be willing to bet you that Lieutenant Westfall's controller is missing." Sam countered, sending a meaningful look to their guide before ordering his agents to collect the schematics of the missing equipment and security tapes from the past few days to see if they could find who had stolen the missing drone.

McGee and DiNozzo were upstairs combing through the security footage while Sam and Kate looked over the schematics with Abby. She briefed them on how outdated the tech on the drone was and how unlikely it was to cause any real damage to which Sam countered with the fact a hand grenade was low tech and very effective at causing damage. Abby just smiled and relented her point. She continued to explain that the drone was essentially the aircraft version of an RC car, that it couldn't go far and required a radio transmitter to fly.

Kate added that someone had stolen Lieutenant Westfall's transmitter and that it was likely incompatible with the older tech. Abby just shook her head and explained that the flight control codes for the new craft was based on the codes used for the older models and would probably be able to be adapted to work for the missing drone. Adding to that the drone would only have about a 40-mile range of the controller. The range would be smaller if they load it down with weapons, which was limiting as the largest payload the drone would be able to get off the ground with would be only about 25 pounds, which Sam admitted was enough for a soft target like people.

When Sam asked if the controls could be jammed, Abby agreed that so long as the other controller was within the same range it was possible for a second controller to jam the first. Armed with this new information, Sam headed upstairs to see what McGee and DiNozzo had come up with. The pair were watching the security footage they had gotten from Danborn. "What have you got?"

"We found the footage of the drone being stolen on the tapes, Boss." Tony played the film of two men rolling the drone out of the locker where it was usually stored.

"We have an ID yet on them yet?" Sam demanded.

"No, they're both wearing ski masks, but look at this," Tony paused the film and zoomed in on one of the men who was holding his shoulder, "Maybe I'm paranoid, but does that man look familiar to you?"

"You're not paranoid; that bastard is Ari," Sam turned toward them.

"He's not looking for an Al Qaeda Cell," Tony supplied.

"Hell no. He's running it!" Sam huffed, storming off. "You get Fornell in here now!"

"What should I tell him?" Tony questioned.

"Tell him he's about to make the second biggest mistake of his life." Sam stormed up the stairs to MTAC as Tony and McGee scurried to their desks to try to reach Fornell and the FBI.

Within a half an hour Fornell and the agents from both teams had gathered in MTAC, "My second biggest mistake?" Fornell demanded, "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? What was my first?"

"Marrying my second wife." Sam raised his eye brow at Gibbs' best friend.

"You could have warned me," The FBI agent protested.

"I did, Tobias." Sam rolled his eyes.

"In my defense, I thought he was exaggerating," Fornell explained needlessly to the rest of the room, "He wasn't."

"Where's Ari," Sam demanded calmly.

"What part of 'Sit this out' don't you get?" Fornell challenged.

Sam rounded on him, explaining that the double agent had just stolen a Navy UAV and was preparing to kill innumerable civilians with it. Fornell countered with the fact that the UAV at Danborn was accounted for. "He stole a drone, Tobias, you pack the nose of that thing with explosives and you have a poor man's cruise missile." Sam gestured to the screen where one of the technicians had brought up and image of the drone schematics.

"He's playing you! He's no double agent, never has been." Sam got in the man's face, "Where is he?"

"All we have is an encrypted spook cell phone number." Fornell looked defeated.

"Call him," Sam demanded.

"Why? It's not like you can trace it from here, Gibbs," Fornell protested, "You need a high-level NSA intercept. We're talking dedicated satellite time and…" He was cut off by an NSA agent confirming they had two satellites in range for the next few minutes clear and free to trace the call. Sighing, Fornell withdrew a slip of paper from his wallet with the number to be traced, asking Gibbs if he was absolutely sure about this, which Sam confirmed he was, adding that they should put his name on the caller ID to ensure that Ari would answer.

"Agent Gibbs, now how did you get this number?" Came the humored voice of the terrorist.

"I have my ways," Sam responded vaguely.

"Your friend Fornell, I don't doubt. He's probably standing there with you." Ari chuckled.

"Nope," Sam denied, pacing the floor as he spoke, watching as the techs narrowed down the location of the cell number. "I've been thrown off the case."

"It's probably for the best," Ari agreed in a pseudo-casual manner, "I wasn't looking forward to killing you."

"I wish I could say the same thing, Ari." Sam continued, "I've resigned from NCIS."

"That's a shame, I hope it wasn't something I said," Came the smug response.

"The next time I meet you, it will be the last time." Sam responded, noticing that Ari's location had been pinpointed, "There won't be anybody to stop me."

"Gibbs, I'm honored," Ari chuckled, "I had no idea you made so much of a…" was all they heard before Sam had he line cut off.

The NSA agent informed them that he was able to narrow down Ari's location to a two-block radius in Norfolk. Sam nodded his thanks then called for his team to grab their gear. Within minutes, they had gotten the secondary control console from Abby and were on the road. "You sure you can work that thing if we need you to jam their signal, McGee?" Sam demanded.

"Well, Abby explained it to me," McGee hedged, Sam turned around acting as if he was going to launch himself bodily at the junior agent, causing the car to swerve dangerously, "I'll figure it out, Boss." The younger man amended. Sam turned back to driving toward the area where they had found Ari's hideout.

"What day is today?" Tony asked Kate.

"May 24th." She informed him, looking at her palm pilot.

"Paula Cassidy's ship is due to get back today from the Gulf." Tony supplied, "We're hooking up." He added.

"Don't you think you should worry about the potential terrorist attack we're trying to stop, Tony?" Kate challenged.

"The whole Marine Amphibious Strike Group returns today." Tony explained, "Five ships, all of them heading for Norfolk."

McGee was quick to point out that a drone, even one loaded with a weaponized payload was not likely to do any real damage to a warship. Sam's heart sunk as her realized the real target, "The pier will be packed with Navy families awaiting their loved ones' return. He's not aiming for the ships." He groaned as he floored the accelerator hoping that their arrival wasn't too late.

Soon they had arrived on the outer edge of the area where Ari had been located and were gearing up in their vests and checking their weapons. "You got the controller figured out yet?" Sam questioned McGee.

"Yeah Boss, I did, the drone is on one of three radio frequencies. It'll take a few seconds to jam each of them, but once I find freq it's on the drone should go off-target."

"It's going to take hours to search these warehouses, Boss." DiNozzo speculated.

"Give me the shot gun," Was all Sam said. As soon as Kate handed over the weapon, he aimed and fired at a nearby light, alerting the cell to their presence. "Tony take the fire escape. Kate, you're with me. McGee, start jamming!" He ordered as he and Kate headed down an alleyway toward one of the warehouses they suspected served as the cell's base of operations. Tony took the fire escape as Kate and Sam breached the ground floor.

A fire fight immediately ensued, they had taken out some of the cell and were working their way through the building clearing it. "Boss, they just fired the drone." He heard McGee over the com.

"Jam it, McGee!" Sam ordered, not taking his eyes off the targets who were diving behind objects trying to get away from the flying bullets from both his and Kate's weapons. He heard the imaging chamber door open and sensed more that saw his friend who had just arrived.

"You've really gotten good at this," Al observed, noticing the com strapped to his friend's throat, "Don't respond just listen to me, when you get to the roof, you need to be extra vigilant. If you aren't you are going to lose one of your agents to a sniper just a few roofs over."

Sam nodded his understanding and continued his progress through the building, knowing that Al was acting as another pair of eyes for him. "Behind you!" He heard, causing him to turn and fire, catching one of the men in the chest, taking him out. Slowly he and Kate had cleared all but the roof. Just as they were reaching the door, he heard Tony's whisper over the wire. "Got one down, Boss. No visual on anyone else yet," Came the update.

"Let's do it." Sam ordered, slowly opening the door to the roof access.

"Look out!" Al cried out as a man with a machine gun popped up from behind one of the AC units and began firing, Sam barely escaped by diving over a partition. Kate, who had come out from behind him shot for the man but he ducked behind another partition of the roof. Sam heard the gunman yelling in another language to another man on the roof. "We have at least two targets up here, keep your eyes open."

A round of shots was heard from Tony's gun as well as a blast from Kate's rifle and the gunman was down. With any luck the only person left, aside from them would be the man controlling the drone. Tony and Gibbs rounded the corner, both shooting at the drone pilot, killing him. "Clear," Tony confirmed.

One look at the screen of the control unit confirmed Sam's worst fear, "McGee, this thing is still flying."

"One down, two to go, Boss." Came the response before a volley of shots was heard followed by McGee's voice, "Boss, one of them shot my transmitter!"

"Do you know how to fly this thing?" Tony asked him.

"No," Sam took a step back, indicating for Tony to do the same, "But I know how to crash it." He fired three shots into the control unit only to be rewarded by the sound of a distant splash as the drone hit the bay. "McGee, are you alright?" Sam called over the com.

"I got one terrorist inside, I don't know if I got him," McGee reported back, "But he stopped shooting."

"Hold your position, we'll flush him." Sam ordered.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Gibbs had taken back control," Mused Al, despite the fact he knew his friend wasn't listening. He watched as Sam and the agents in his charge quickly made their way back across the roof, nervously chomping on his cigar.

"I'm out," Sam reported after a quick check of his weapon.

"Me too," Kate confirmed as Tony handed another clip of ammo to Sam to load into his gun. All of a sudden, he heard her cry out "Shooter!" As he turned he saw the blast from the roof access door as Kate dove in front of the bullet.

Both men turned their weapons toward the shooter, quickly taking him down. "Oh my God, Kate!" Tony cried out, immediately going to his partner's side. Sam joined him, checking her pulse as Tony removed her jacket to check for injuries, finding that her flak jacket had stopped the bullet. Both men sighed in relief, "You okay?" The younger man asked.

"Ow!" Moaned Kate, "I just got shot at point-blank range, DiNozzo, what do you think?" She challenged.

"You're not going to be going to Pilates class tomorrow?" The younger man joked back, trying to keep the mood light.

Kate just groaned as the men helped her to her feet. "Protection detail is over, Kate." Sam informed her.

"You did good." Tony smiled.

"For once Tony is right," Sam agreed, as a glint of something caught his eye the same time as Al cried out. "Get down!" All three agents hit the deck as the bullet passed straight through Al who had been standing behind where Kate had been. The three waited a few moments but heard no more shots ring out. Sam was the first up, along with Tony pointing their guns toward the rooftop from where the bullet had been fired, but the shooter was gone. "Damn it!" Sam cried out. "We'll never find him now." Turning to Tony who was helping Kate back to her feet, he informed them to pack it in, that they were going home. "Not much more we can do here today."


	5. Chapter 5

It was a long ride back to the Naval yard for the four agents, as soon as they arrived they were debriefed and sent to Ducky for examination. While Ducky was examining DiNozzo and McGee, Sam ducked into the elevator and hit a random button before flipping the emergency stop switch and rounding on Al who hadn't left him since they were on the rooftop. "Why am I still here, Al?" Sam demanded, "I did what I had to do, Kate is alive and well."

"Yeah, but Ari is still on the loose." Al reminded him, hitting a few buttons on his comlink, "Ziggy says there's a 97.8% probability that you can't leave until Ari is no longer a threat to you or the team."

"Isn't there another way?" Sam groaned, "I am so tired of being shot at! I just want to forget this leap ever happened."

"I've never known you to take the easy way out." Al observed.

"Yeah, well maybe my age is starting to show." Sam retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, well hold on just a bit longer." Al tried to pacify him, "According to Ziggy, Ari is going to make another attempt at you and your team over the next few days."

"A few days!" Sam threw his hands up, "I don't think I can manage a few more days and stay sane! I've been shot at more times than I can count, I saved the woman's life you are wanting me to save, this Gibbs character bleeds into me almost as much Lee Harvey Oswald did – thank God at least he's not a complete sociopath, and to top it all of you have been clearly hiding something from me for the entirety of this leap. No matter how many times I have asked you, you change the topic and it's driving me completely insane! What is so damn important to you about this leap?"

"I can't tell you that." Al sighed, "Not without jeopardizing the leap. All I can tell you is that it is a personal matter which I will tell you about, when the leap is over. But I swear, my hand to God, that it will all make sense when I am able to tell you. Now you need to go back out there and be Gibbs so we can get you to leap on, because just as crazy as you are going being here, the Gunny is getting just as anxious to get back. That famous gut of his is telling him there is danger awaiting his team still and he's pacing like a caged tiger because he can't do a damn thing about it. Now you go do your job so we can get you the hell out of here!" With that he punched a button on his comlink and walked out of the imaging chambers a slew of Italian curse words being muttered under his breath.

Sam took a few moments to get himself composed before switching off the emergency stop and allowing the elevator to continue down to the Pathology Lab so he could check on his agents. McGee was already waiting for the elevator when he stepped off. The younger man looked perplexed as he watched Gibbs step off the elevator alone.

"What is it, McGee?" Sam huffed.

"Nothing, Boss." The younger man's eyes wide as saucers, "I just thought I heard you talking to someone."

"You ever heard of a rhetorical conversation McGee?" Sam challenged, McGee just nodded silently and stepped onto the elevator muttering something about going back to his desk to look into where Ari might have gone off to. Rolling his eyes, Sam continued down the hall to the lab where Ducky was tending to the other agents, and clearly was struggling to maintain control.

As the doors slid open, Sam could overhear an argument between Kate and the senior field agent. "Damn it, DiNozzo, I'm fine. Now would you please leave so Ducky can finish my exam?" She demanded.

"If you are as fine as you say, Katie, why does the good doctor have to continue to examine you?" He challenged.

"Don't call me Katie," She growled through clenched teeth, "And for your information for Ducky to patch me up, he might have to have me remove my shirt and I don't want to do that with your prying eyes around."

"Katie, you wound me," Tony scoffed, "You think I would take advantage of this situation to see you naked, as if I even wanted to see that in the first place!"

Sam simply walked up to him and slapped the back of his head. "Quit antagonizing her and go help McGee."

"Sorry, Boss," Tony responded contritely as he headed for the door, "I'll go see if McGee had found anything yet."

"Thank you, Jethro," Ducky gave him a small smile, "I already finished with Anthony but he seemed hesitant to leave our Dear Caitlyn's side since they arrived."

"He is her partner," Sam shrugged watching his lead agent make his exit, "He's got good intentions, his follow through leaves much to be desired, though."

Kate simply gave a derisive snort at the explanation followed by a small whimper as she clutched her side where the bullet had impacted her. "I would suggest trying not to laugh for a few days, my dear," The doctor gently reprimanded her, "Do you mind removing your shirt?" After watching her struggle for a few moments, he asked Gibbs to help her with the vest at least. Once the flak jacket was removed, she was able to undo the buttons of her blouse but was too sore to slip the garment from her shoulders. Sam gently assisted her and returned to a corner of the room, watching closely as Dr. Mallard performed his examination.

"Oh my, I can see why it hurts so much for you to move." The doctor clicked his tongue as he took in the deep purple and yellow bruise that marred the woman's flesh, the stark contrast between the discoloration and the white bra she still wore making the injury seem much worse that it really was. "I'm sorry, Caitlyn, but I do have to make sure that nothing is broken," Kate nodded quickly taking a deep breath as the doctor gently poked and prodded her side, causing her to whimper every so often. "I'm afraid you may have some broken ribs, my Dear. I shall have to take an x-ray of your ribs." Ducky nodded decisively. "Jethro, would you kindly help her lay down while I fetch the machine?"

Sam nodded and made his way to the exam table where Kate sat. Taking a nearby roll of paper towels to cushion her head he helped her to lie down gently, cradling her head and back. The woman shivered a bit as her skin met the cool metal of the table. "That's freezing."

"Sorry about that, my dear, most of my guests don't mind the cold." Ducky patted her hand sympathetically before setting up the machine he'd just wheeled in. "Although I suppose I probably should get something to place over them when I have guests who are able to talk back to me."

"Might be a good idea," Kate agreed through chattering teeth.

Ducky smiled warmly at the girl as he finished getting the machine positioned, "Now I hate to be indelicate, my Dear Girl, but I have to ask. Is there any chance you might be pregnant?"

Shooting a quick look towards her boss, she looked back at the doctor and swiftly shook her head, "No, no chance."

"Alright then, Jethro, I need your assistance with something." Ducky called out to him, "I'm sorry I didn't think of it earlier, we need to move this pad beneath Caitlyn's back so as to get a good image."

Sam nodded and gently lifted Kate into a sitting position while Dr. Mallard slipped the mat over the table. As soon as it was in position, Kate was laid back down and the machine was positioned to capture her side. The men stepped a short distance away as the machine captured its readings, short buzzes being the only indication that the machine was doing anything. Ducky worked to develop the film as Sam helped Kate back into a sitting position, wrapping his own coat around her shoulders to keep her warm.

A short while later, Ducky reemerged, carrying a folder with the scans in it. Turing on his light board, he popped each image up under the holding brackets to examine them. "Hmm, well it doesn't seem as if anything is broken but you did bruise some of them. You'll have to be wrapped for a while to let them heal. If you can't manage it yourself, I can always rewrap you when you arrive for work every day, or I'm sure Abigail could in my absence. Shall we get that taken care of now before you are dressed again?" Kate nodded silently as Sam slipped the jacket from her shoulders to allow the good doctor to wrap her up, a short time later, he was helping her slip her blouse back on again and helping her down from the table. Kate gave them both a quick hug before informing them she would be in the lab with Abby.

"Do you ever wish you could have had some of you own?" The doctor asked gently, seeing the way his friend's eyes followed the young woman out.

"Sometimes, but could you imagine me being a dad," Sam scoffed, allowing Gibbs to take over, "The poor kid would likely wind up more screwed up than I am."

"I don't know, Jethro," The doctor mused, "I think I could see you as a father quite easily. Don't think I don't see the way you are with the children we come across, and I know you think of Abby and the rest of your team as ersatz children with me as the eccentric grandfather or uncle."

Sam chuckled a bit at the picture, "Well some of us can't have it all," He sighed, "We're called to do other things, sometimes the things we miss out on are just the price we have to pay to be the people this world needs us to be."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Ducky agreed, "I should get back to my duties, and you should probably get back to dealing with your brood."

"I'll see you later, Duck." Sam clapped the man on the shoulder and headed toward the elevator to see if the men had come up with any new information.

The moment he stepped into the bullpen, the floor was a commotion of activity, just like every other day. McGee and DiNozzo were both at their desk chasing down leads, when he walked by. Tony got his attention first, waving a baggie of vials containing shotgun shells, "The techs just got back from the warehouses, they found Ari's sniper's nest. He didn't police his brass." He tossed Gibbs the baggie, "Lapua .308's."

"Anything else?" Sam questioned, taking a close look at the shells as if they would give him the answer as to why Ari had chosen that specific ammunition. "Prime snipper ammo," he cursed under his breath.

"Uh Boss, the director said he wants to see you in MTAC as soon as possible." McGee pointed toward the upper floor of the room.

"Of course he does," Sam groaned, rolling his eyes, before mounting the stairs to the secure room. "Tony, get those shells down to Abby see if she can't find something on those casings." He called over his shoulder. Taking a deep breath at the door, he scanned himself in to the room he took a seat next to the director, "I know you said to lay off Ari, but he was involved in the investigation from the very start." He started.

"It doesn't matter," The director shrugged, "You're not my problem anymore."

"Why, you dying?" Sam shot him a skeptical look.

"God no, I've been offered the position of Deputy Director of Homeland Security, I'm just hanging around to show the new NCIS Director the ropes." Director Morrow informed him. "It's about time the agency got some new blood."

"You don't mean…" Sam pointed to himself.

"And let the agency crash and burn? I don't think so, no matter how much I like you." Morrow chuckled, "Gibbs meet the new director," he gestured toward a figure sitting in the seat before them.

Sam couldn't see who it was as they stood, at least not until she turned around. The moment the gorgeous redhead with deep emerald eyes turned around, Sam was inundated with Gibb's memories of a mission in Paris with the woman. It was clear the two had been more than just partners. "Hello Jethro." The woman smiled softly.

"Jenny," Sam whispered.

"Oh, you two know each other," Morrow seemed pleased.

"Agent Gibbs is the one who trained me." The newly minted Director Shepard explained, "We go way back. Do you think you'll have any issues taking orders from me?"

"As a woman or as a director?" Sam challenged.

"Both," Jenny gave him a pointed stare.

"I guess we'll see," Sam shrugged and headed toward the door, "Nice knowing you, Tom. See you around Jenny."

"Agent Gibbs," Jen called after him, following him down the stairs, catching him half-way down. "On the job, it is Director Sheppard or Ma'am."

"You got it," Sam gave her a smirk, "Madam Director." He annunciated every syllable before turning on his heel and heading back down the stairs. Sam noticed the sun had set, likely hours ago as he walked towards his desk to grab his jacket. "Tell Tony I've gone to get some coffee, do you want anything, Tim?" He asked the young man who was typing furiously at his station.

"No," McGee looked up, a stunned look on his face from both the offer and the familiar use of his name, "Thank you, Gibbs, I'm fine."

"I'll be back in a bit." Sam nodded, pulling on his jacket. Stepping outside, he realized the rain was falling harder than he'd anticipated, but he wasn't in the mood to go back up to grab a hat, zipping his coat up tighter, he set on down the street to grab the cup he knew he'd be needing from the 24-hour café down the street.

No more than 15 minutes later, he was heading back to the office when he heard something whiz past him followed closely by breaking glass, a shotgun blast, and two women scream. Dropping his cup, he ran back inside and down to the forensics lab into which the bullet had just been fired. He saw that Tony had gotten most of the lights out and had Kate, who was unable to move fast enough to protect herself in a firefight, and Abby, who was shaken, but thankfully not hit up against the wall, where no one could get them through the window. Sam quickly got the rest of the lights including the bio-sample cooler and made his way over to the younger agents and lab tech.

"You guys okay?" Sam asked softly, crouching in front of the women.

"I think he's moved on, there wasn't a second shot, I doubt there will be at this point," Tony reported.

"Tony go call Metro PD and have them close off Anacostia Park at the bridge," Sam directed.

"On it boss," Tony started toward the door.

"DiNozzo!" Sam whisper-yelled at the younger man, "What if he has a night vision scope?"

"Good point boss," Tony crouched over and crawled out of the lab leaving Sam to comfort the women.

"Ari missing me on the roof was a fluke, wasn't it?" Kate asked as Gibbs settled between herself and Abby.

"Nah, I saw him coming a mile away," Sam shrugged her concern off, wrapping his right arm around her.

"But now he's coming after me." Abby whimpered.

"First thing in the morning, I'm getting you bullet-proof glass," Sam assured her as his left arm pulled her close.

"There's no such thing." Abby protested, settling against Gibb's shoulder.

"Bullet-resistant, then." Sam amended, plucking a shard of glass from her hair, "Do you honestly think I'm going to let that psycho hurt one of my girls?" He kissed both of their heads and pulled them closer as the women curled into him, each resting her head on one of his shoulders. The trio sat like that until they saw the lights of Metro PDs squad cars reflecting off the wall. "Do you want to stay down here or do you want to come upstairs?" He asked gently.

"I think it would be better if we were upstairs for now." Kate suggested with Abby nodding quickly her agreement.

Half an hour later, Tony came strolling in, another evidence baggie containing a shell casing in his hand, "Another Lapua .308 shell," He laid the bag on Gibbs' desk, "What kind of sniper doesn't police his brass?"

"One who is trying to send a message," Sam sighed, "Nothing more we can do tonight, I've arranged for some cots to be set up in the gym, for everyone's safety, no one is going home until this bastard is caught. That means you, Jen." He noticed the woman heading toward the elevator and intercepted her, not noticing the young woman who stepped off the elevator behind them.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Agent Gibbs?" She demanded as he led her back into the squad room.

"Ari is clearly going after women who work with me," Sam explained, "I think it would be best if you stayed here for the night, at least until we can figure out what he has planned."

Jen just rolled her eyes, "You're a damn fine agent," She sighed, "But a terrible negotiator. Fine, I will stay, for tonight, but tomorrow you will not keep me from living my life. I can't run and hide every time someone wants to kill me, I'd never leave the house."

"Made a few enemies, have you Jen?" Sam teased, resulting in a stern look from Jen at the repeated familiar use of her given name.

"I will be up in my office, if you need me," Jen turned on her heel and headed toward the stairs.

"Shalom Jen," The woman called out. Sam turned to see a woman with a scarf tied over her dark curls, wearing a comfortable looking shirt and jacket over cargo pants and jackboots. To his eyes she was the perfect blend of tough and feminine.

"Shalom, Ziva," The director kissed the woman on the cheek, "Gibbs, I'd like you to meet Officer Ziva David, she is on loan to us from Mossad for the time being."

"Mossad, huh?" Sam quirked an eyebrow, "Let me guess, you're Ari's handler."

"For Mossad, yes," The young woman confirmed. "I have very specific orders to help you find him and return him to Tel Aviv as soon as possible."

"Does it matter of he occupies a seat or a pine box for his journey back?" Sam challenged. If the young woman was surprised by his retort she didn't show it.

"Alive would be preferable." She informed him, her tone relaying that it was the only option by her directive.

"We'll see about that," Sam grabbed the ringing phone and started dialing, signaling the end of the conversation."

"Do you think you could talk some sense into him?" Ziva questioned Tony.

"No, for two reasons," Tony held up his fingers, "One he's my boss and I can't and won't talk any sense into him if he's not already decided to allow me to, which he hasn't. And Two, I want to see the bastard dead too, he's nearly killed two people on my team and kidnapped one of the multiple times already. I'd be happy to put him down and zip him into the body bag myself." He grabbed his bag, "I'm going to go down and try to get some shut eye."

"Good idea," Sam hung up the receiver, "I think we all should head down and get some rest, it's been a long day." With that the team headed down toward he gym leaving Ziva standing alone in the squad room looking perplexed.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning dawned bright with the smell of fresh fallen rain in the air. To anyone outside of the NCIS office it would have seemed like the perfect weekend day, but to everyone inside, the battle was still raging on. Abby, Tony, and Sam were in the forensics lab discussing what she'd been able to find so far as they all danced around the installers who were working on installing the bullet-resistant glass that Sam had promised her.

"I had the computer analyzing the shells and bullets that were found at the warehouse, in the car when Ari shot at McGee, and from my wall last night and the patterns all match meaning that the same weapon was used to fire all three rounds." Abby informed them, pulling up the matching patterns on the big screen before turning to her work bench where several rifles were laid out, "According to the FBI data base, these rifles would be ones whose rifling patterns would match the bullets you recovered. I've been able to eliminate all but three; two SWAT weapons – the Tango 51 and the Bravo 51 – and…"

"A Marine M-40 A-1 sniper rifle," Sam finished for her.

"Just like you used in the Corps, right Gibbs?" Abby looked at him, earning a nod and a small smile, "My vote is for the Tango or the Bravo, what do you think Gibbs?" She asked pulling up the bullets from Ari's gun along-side the samples that she'd shot from the rifles."

"Yours show more gouging than his do, Abbs." Sam sighed frustrated, "He was hand-loading and moly-coating."

"What is moly-coating?" Tony questioned, stepping closer to see the results.

"Yeah," Abby turned toward him, "Molybdenum disulfide. It's a lubricant, but not what you're thinking gutter-boy, it decreases barrel ware and increases accuracy."

"McGee, run a trace on Tango and Bravo 51 sales," Sam ordered, "Over the last six weeks in the tri-state area. Check the Bravo first."

"On it, Boss," McGee nodded and headed out of the lab.

"Were you able to pull any prints off the brass?" Sam turned back to Abby.

"No," Abby shook her head, "Why, is that famous gut of yours telling you something?"

"Yeah," Sam admitted, "That I'm gonna need a hell of a lot more coffee before this is through."

"Gibbs," Abby grabbed his arm and turned him back to look at her, she looked like a scared little girl wanting to prove that she was brave enough that her daddy didn't need to chase away the monsters at night, "This bastard not only kidnapped by best friend in this entire world, twice, but took shots at her and me. This is like any other case we've ever had, Ari is persistent and I want to know what I'm going up against. So just cut the John Wayne, overprotective daddy crap, and shoot straight with me. What is your gut telling you?"

"What don't I believe in?" Sam challenged her.

Abby just sighed and ticked points off her fingers, "UFOs, mystics, coincidences, saying you're sorry, big foot, chuppacabra, excuses… do I need to go on?"

"When I was a sniper in the corps, I used hand-loaded and moly-coated Lapua .308s, boat tail, full metal jacket bullets." Sam explained, his serious tone as he ticked off each feature, causing Abby to look more and more defeated.

"Gibbs…" Her voice shook as she looked down, her pigtails hiding her face making her appear more child- like than before.

"Do you know what a sniper calls a Bravo 51, Abbs?" Sam waited as she slowly shook her head, "A Kate."

"Oh my God," Abby whispered, throwing her arms around Gibb's neck, "He's never going to stop, is he?"

"Yeah, he will," Sam assured her, holding her close with one arm and stroking her head with the other, "I promise he will, because I'm going to put him down. You have my word on it."

Gibb's cell phone rang as he slowly let go of Abby who was still trying to look brave than she really felt. Sam flipped open the phone, "Gibbs."

"We have a situation, Boss," Came Tony's voice, "You need to get up here."

"What is it?" Abby questioned, trying to read his face but getting nothing.

"I don't know, but it ain't good," Sam sighed, "Are you going to be okay down here?"

Abby looked conflicted between putting on a brave front or giving in to the obvious need to be near the rest of her NCIS family. "I think I'd rather not be down here alone."

"Do you have any more work that needs done down here?" Sam asked.

"Not until you bring me Ari's DNA to confirm the kill." Her voice a mixture of fear and determination.

"Why don't you come up with me, see if you can't help McGee or Kate with their research?" Sam suggested, as expected Abby jumped at the idea, holding on to his arm as they walked to the elevator like a child clutching their parents leg when they were frightened in the dark. "You know I would never let anything happen to you? Don't you Abbs?" He looked down at her, his voice soft.

"I know," Abby sighed, leaning her head on Gibbs' shoulder as the elevator doors closed, "I'll just feel better when you make the big, bad, man go away."

"Anything for my girls," Sam promised, dropping a kiss on her head. As the elevator doors opened, they were met by Tony, "What do you have Tony?"

"It's not good," The lead agent sighed, "Apparently Ducky got a phone call from Gerald saying he wanted to talk and left."

"Where's Ziva?" Sam demanded.

"She went out looking for Ari." DiNozzo informed him.

"What part of 'Nobody leaves' are people having such a difficult time grasping today?" Sam growled. "I'm guessing there's more."

"Yeah, that was two hours ago," Tony gave Gibbs his 'understand where I'm going with this?' look, "No one has heard from him since. We can't get a hold of him or Gerald, but McGee was able to find their cell phones."

"They're in Georgetown, Olive and 29th." McGee added.

"Isn't that mostly residential?" Sam asked, looking at the screen where McGee had pulled up the GPS coordinate of both the men's cell phones.

"Is it possible that maybe a pub was put in near there?" McGee asked.

"Not unless it was put in within the last two weeks." Sam growled, grabbing his weapon and badge from the desk, "Tony, grab your gear, McGee, you stay here with Abby and Kate."

Tony quickly grabbed his side arm and badge as he chased after his boss, hoping that the doctor and his former assistant hadn't gotten themselves in some kind of trouble.

Within ten minutes the men pulled along the side of the street, eyes scanning for the missing men. "All I'm seeing are brownstones and a park, Boss."

"You think, DiNozzo?" Sam asked sarcastically, pulling out the cell phone in his pocket and dialing McGee's extension. "McGee are you sure they're here?"

"That's what I'm reading." The agent responded.

"Is there a way you can track my phone too?" Sam asked.

"One moment," Sam heard the clack of a keyboard before McGee came back on the line, "You're right on top of them."

"I don't see them anywhere," Sam responded, signaling Tony to look in the park across the street and he followed close behind.

"I don't know how that could be," McGee sounded confused, "You should be standing face to face with them right now, if they have their phones."

"You think someone made them toss the phones?" Tony suggested.

"Damn it!" Sam cursed, hanging up with McGee and calling Ducky's phone. Soon both agents heard the sound of 'Scotland The Brave' ring out across the field from a nearby bush. Without much trouble, they were able to locate Ducky's cell along with Gerald's a less than a foot to the side of it.

Sam quickly called McGee back, "We found Ducky and Ari's cell phones in a park."

"Why would they leave their cellphones in a park?" He heard McGee ask, immediately followed by two female voices sighing their disappointment in the young agent, confirming his suspicion he was on speakerphone.

"They wouldn't, Tim." Sam responded. "Put a BOLO out on Ducky's Morgan, as well as Gerald's Honda, neither are here, you can find their plate numbers in their files."

"Gibbs," Abby pipped in, "Ari must have Gerald and Ducky."

"They aren't dead, Abbs," Sam assured her.

"How can you be so sure?" He heard Kate's shaky voice.

"Because he dumped their cell phones, not their bodies." Sam reminded them.

"Um, Boss," He heard McGee break in, "I don't have to pull Gerald's plate."

"Why's that McGee?" Sam nodded to Tony to get back in the car.

"Because he just walked in." The junior agent explained.

"Ari's got Doctor Mallard." Sam heard a deeper voice come over the line which he assumed belonged to Gerald.

"How did you get away?" Sam demanded.

"I didn't," Gerald sounded bewildered, "Ari let me go as soon as he had Ducky."

"We'll be back in a minute," Sam informed them, "No body, and I mean _nobody_ , is to leave the building, I mean it!" He ignored the snicker that came from the passenger seat as he peeled off down the street to return to headquarters.

In almost no time at all, he and Tony were walking back to their desks and locking their weapons away once more. "Okay, what do we know so far?"

"Ari picked up Gerald to force Ducky into a meet." McGee reported.

"Did you try to warn him?" Sam looked at the new addition to the squad room. A tall man with dark skin and short black hair.

"I did," The young man nodded, an apologetic note to his voice, "But you know Ducky…"

"Yeah, I do," Sam sighed, "It's not your fault. Ducky made up his own mind, probably thinks he can save us all by offering himself up. And you know that bastard isn't going to let him go easily now that he has him. McGee, debrief it and write it up."

"Yes boss," McGee pulled an extra chair up to his desk for Gerald to sit in while they wrote up the former medical assistant's statement.

"Tony, you take Kate and Abby down to the lab, see if you can find anything that might help us to figure out where Ari may have taken Ducky," Sam dictated, "I'm gonna try my luck on the streets."

"You will do no such thing, Jethro," Ducky reprimanded him, stepping out of the elevator and walking toward the team.

"Cancel the BOLOs," Sam instructed McGee to reminded him he never had a chance to send them, "Where's Ari?"

"Long gone by now, I would imagine." Ducky shrugged, we sat down the street for a time before he got a phone call and left."

"What did you two talk about?" Sam turned back to the medical examiner.

"My Morgan for a while, then our Alma Mater – Edinburgh Medical School – granted we never ran into each other as we were decades apart…." Ducky listed.

"Anything else?" Sam cut him off trying to avoid he rambling that was sure to continue if he hadn't. "Anything important?"

"Yes, he swears he didn't make the attempt on our dear girls." Ducky provided, "He made a very logical and passionate defense."

"And you believed him?" Sam questioned.

"Not for a moment," Ducky confirmed. "He also said it was a shame one of you would have to die. He's arrogantly confident that it won't be him."

"Yeah, we'll just see about that," Sam snorted, marching off toward the breakroom, "I'm going for more coffee."

"I'll be down in my lab, sharpening my scalpel for when you bring that bastard in," Ducky also made his leave, a determined stride to his step.

Gerald was just leaving to see if he could assist Ducky or Palmer in any way when Abby burst in, Kate and Tony hot on her heels. None of them noticing Gibbs or the Director standing, watching them "McGee!" Abby called out, "Where's Gibbs."

"Coffee run," Tim responded, distractedly as he looked over the report he just finished typing up, glancing over, he saw the concerned look on her face, "From the breakroom, Abby. He didn't leave."

"Well he'd better not without saying goodbye," She pouted causing Sam and Jen to chuckle. "Tony was able to match the tire tracks at the warehouse to a Chevy Suburban."

"Bridgestone Duelers," Tony supplied, sitting at his desk as Abby pushed Tim out of his seat and took over the computer.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tim tried to wrestle his seat back to no avail.

"We caught a break," Abby explained, still typing, "NRO orbited a new keyhole. They're doing calibration tests using the seventh hole of the Norfolk Golf Course."

"Why the seventh hole?" He looked over her shoulder, curiously.

"That's why I love you McGee," Abby smiled up at him, missing the longing look from the agent as she turned back to the screen, "You think specifics."

"That's me Mister Specific," McGee sighed.

"Whatever the reason, we have to be grateful because, look at this," She adjusted the focus of the satellite's lens, "The orbit took the Keyhole over Newport News. I input the warehouse coordinates and…"

McGee walked towards the large display screen where Abby was showing what she was looking at, "That's the rooftop." McGee remarked, astonished, "There's me, Tony, Gibbs, and Kate," he pointed out the respective agents as he said their names."

Abby readjusted the camera view to show a nearby building, "Is that where Ari's sniper nest was?"

"Yeah, but I don't see him." McGee's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"What did you expect?" Abby looked up at him, "Him lining up the shot?"

"It would have been helpful, yes," He admitted as Abby once again adjusted the camera frame by frame until they saw a suburban driving down an alley. "Can you get a plate number?" He looked back at her.

"That depends more on angle than resolution," The lab tech admitted, going frame by frame until she found what she was looking for.

McGee rounded the desk once more and pulled her into a hug from behind before squeezing and lifting her up to move her. "What do you think you're doing McGee?"

"I have to get a BOLO out on the truck," He explained as Abby wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"See I knew there was a reason I loved you," She smiled down at him before she and Kate headed back down to the lab, Tony trailing behind, leaving McGee staring after them with an astonished look on his face before shaking it off and returning to what he was doing.

"Oh, there's good," Jen nodded appreciatively.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Sam challenged.

"No, I know you hand-picked each and every one of them," Jen smiled at him, "And I've learned not to underestimate the Gibbs intuition."

"Then why are you insisting we work with Officer David?" He demanded, "You know she's only going to get in the way of us doing what we need to do, all so that Mossad can cover their collective asses."

"She's good at what she does," Jen responded, " _If_ it comes down to it she'll help you take him down if it turns out he is as dangerous as you clam he is," Sam glared at her choice of words but didn't dispute them, "Besides, she saved my life two years ago in Cairo. I owe it to her to let her at least attempt to do her job and avoid any more bad blood between NCIS and Mossad."

"Well why don't we put it to a test Jen?" Sam challenged, "He's after me, right? Why don't we give him what he wants and see what side Ms. Mossad chooses?"

"Gibbs, this is no time for levity," Jen warned.

"Who said I'm joking?" Sam gave her a meaningful look before going downstairs, grabbing his weapon and tossing an excuse over his should to McGee about having to get something from his home office. Almost as soon as the elevator doors shut, Jen saw Ziva slip out the door leading to the stairwell.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam, with Al along as his personal GPS, pulled up to Gibbs house. "You sure you want to do this?" Al questioned him, taking a puff of his ever-present stogie as both men stared ahead at the front door of the home.

"No," Sam admitted, "But I don't think I have much of a choice. If I'm right, and I'm fairly sure I am, he's in there."

"You want me to take point and let you know where he is so you're not surprised?" The old admiral tilted his head toward him.

"Might be a good idea," Sam nodded, "I may have gained some practice over the years, but I'm nowhere near as good of a shot as Gibbs is or was."

With a nod, and a press of a button, Al disappeared. Sam slid out of the car and quietly made his way to the front door. Taking a calming breath, he entered the home as silently as he could, thanking every deity and saint there was that neither the door nor the flooring gave away his position by creaking or squeaking its alarm. "He's down here, Sam!" He heard his friend's voice from the basement, "And he's got your sniper rifle!"

Sam slowly made his way down the stairs, acting as if he was unaware of Ari's presence, and to the locked hidey hole where Gibbs kept his rifle only to find it and one Lapua .308 missing from its place in the drawer.

"Are you looking for this Jethro?" The deep voice came from behind him, equal parts humor and malice, which sent a chill down Sam's spine as he slowly turned and faced the man who had been causing all the nightmares for his team over the last several months. Ari was sitting in a dark corner of the room, the butt end of Gibb's sniper rifle resting on his thigh, "I want you to know, I wish I hadn't had to shoot at Caitlyn, or Abby for that matter."

"Why did you?" Sam tried to convey calmness he didn't feel.

"To cause you pain," The other man shrugged, "Why else?"

"I piss you off that much?" Sam bit back a snarl.

"Not you," Ari cocked his head to the side "My father, you have the rather unenviable misfortune of reminding me of the bastard."

"I see now," Sam nodded, "He didn't marry your mother."

Ari chuckled, "That's what makes me a bastard, not him." Lowering the rifle to sit across his lap, "From the moment of my birth, he groomed me to be one thing: his mole in Hamas. He sent me to Edinburgh to become a doctor so I could work in the Gaza camps alongside my mother. When he had her killed, I had no trouble joining the Iz Adin al-Kasam."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Sam challenged him.

"How else can you explain a retaliatory Israeli strike in the exact area she was in," He met Gibb's eyes, "During the first weekend in years I was able to visit him in Tel Aviv? After decades of planning, he finally had his mole in Hamas. I don't think he ever realized how much I hated him. I wish I could see his face as he realized he created not a mole, but a monster eager to strike at the heart of Mossad and Israel."

"I wish I could say I feel sorry for you," Sam quipped, "But considering the hell you've put me and my people through, I seem to be coming up just a bit short."

"I don't need your sympathies, Gibbs," Ari stood and slowly rounded he boat, backing Sam up towards the stairs as he raised the rifle to his shoulder, "But what I do need is for you to commit suicide by your own rifle. You never gave me enough credit in our little game."

"See that's the difference between you and I," Sam shook his head, "I don't play games, not with the lives of my family."

"Oh, but you see, we are more alike than you claim," Ari smiled, "I don't play games with my family either, when Ziva called me and told me you were heading here, I knew I finally had my chance. I knew you couldn't resist taking me down yourself, you need it to prove your superiority, and get your revenge."

"I've killed enough people in my life, Ari," Sam shook his head sadly as he sat on the first landing of the staircase, "I have no need to add you to the list."

"You can't take the fun out of this for me, Gibbs." Ari lowered his eye to the scope and put Gibb's head in the crosshairs, "You almost had me…"

A shot rang out as Ari's head snapped back, the rifle clattering to the floor by his now still body. Neither man had heard Ziva quietly slip into the house and make her way to the doorway leading to the basement workshop. She had heard every word, as much as it hurt her heart to do so, she finally had to admit to herself Ari was exactly who Gibbs had said he was. When she saw him lining up his shot, she knew she had to take hers. His body lay lifeless on the ground as she made her way down the stairs to stand next to Gibbs who had collected the rifle and had unloaded the bullet from the hold.

"His father is a deputy director in Mossad?" Sam asked quietly, not looking at the young woman, who stood trembling at his side.

"Yes," She whispered, her eyes locked on the still form.

"Not David…" Sam's question drifted off.

"Yes," Came the shaky affirmation, "He's my half-brother."

"I'm sorry." Sam set the rifle on the bench beside him and gently took Ziva into his arms.

"Me too," She whispered, letting him support her for a moment before slowly stepping away. Almost as if reading her mind, Gibbs stepped away to let her have a few moments alone with her brother.

"You did good, Sam." Al commended him when they were alone in the living room.

"What happens to them?" Sam looked at the former admiral.

"Ziva goes back to Israel for a while, with a report from Director Shepard saying that Ari was killed in a firefight between NCIS and the Hamas cell he'd infiltrated." Al hit a few more buttons, "This case helps to solidify the team more than they had been before, and in the aftermath, Tim finally gets the stones to ask Abby to make their situation more permanent. They eventually marry and have 2 kids. A few years later, Gibbs resigns, leaving Tony in charge of the team for a while before deciding to return and gaining back control of the team again. Tony is offered the opportunity to run his own team, but he declines choosing, instead to stay with Gibbs and the team. Kate makes quite the impression on Jenny and is offered the position of deputy director of NCIS under Director Shepard, but like Tony, she declines so as to stay with her team, at least for now. Gerald never returns to work, but under Dr. Mallard's mentorship, Palmer graduates medical school with honors, and NCIS hires him on full time as the secondary ME with his own assistant."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sam hinted.

"I don't think so." Al feigned ignorance.

"Whatever you say, Al" Sam laughed as the first sparks of electricity indicating the start of a leap began to overtake him. Al chuckled, waving as a blue light completely engulfed his friend before he faded from view. Al chuckled to himself and exited the imaging chamber.

"Admiral," Gooshie intercepted him as he walked down the ramp. "You have a visitor in your office."

"Thanks, Gooshie," Al nodded and made his way down the hall. Turning the corner, he saw a tall brown-haired man in dark wash jeans and a leather jacket under which the collar of a dress shirt could be seen. He was sitting on the arm of a chair where a woman with dark hair perched, the two were talking and laughing amicably. Every so often the woman would roll her eyes and shake her head at the man's antics. He was just snuffing out his cigar when the young man looked up at him.

"Ciao zio, come è appeso?" A familiar roguish grin on his face.

"Polpetto, che è per me sapere e la vostra fidanzata per scoprire." Al clapped the man on the back, chuckling at the confused look on the woman's face.

"Did he just call you a meatball?" The woman turned to the young man.

"It's a nickname." He sighed.

"When he was little, he would always steal his Zia's meatballs," Al explained, "Hense the name, but you didn't come all this way to hear that, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I don't think you'd believe it until you saw it yourself," The young man smiled down at the woman.

"Well I'll be..." Al gasped, "You finally did it, you did good Tone, you did good."


End file.
